Kobe Bryant has retired from the sport after a career spanning two decades with a stunning final performance.
The NBA star scored 60 points to help the LA Lakers make a dramatic comeback against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles.
Kobe Bryant, 37, spent his entire career with the Lakers, winning five NBA titles and recording the third highest total number of points in the sport.
Tickets for his final match changed hands for up to $27,500.
Kobe Bryant scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to help his team overcome a 15-point deficit to win the game.
He took a career-high 50 shots in the fifth highest-scoring game of his career.
Addressing the crowd after the game, Kobe Bryant said it was “crazy” to end on such a high note.
“You know, I was really, really tired, but I thought, I just got to continue to push it because the fan support was just tremendous and I think that’s the thing I’ll remember the most,” he said.
Hollywood stars, famous rappers and sports legends were in the sell-out crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The LA transport department has renamed a metro station near the Staples Center “Kobe Station” for the day.
Los Angeles City Hall was lit up in the Lakers’ colors of purple and gold at dusk.
However, correspondents say Kobe Bryant is not universally adored by fans.
His performances could be inconsistent and in 2003 he was accused of rape by a woman with whom he eventually reached an out-of-court settlement.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Kobe Bryant entered the NBA straight from high school at the age of 17.
Kobe Bryant became the youngest-ever player to appear in an NBA game, coming on against Dallas aged 18 years, two months and 11 days.
Kobe Bryant has said he would love to represent the US at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The 37-year-old LA Lakers star, regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history, announced this week he would retire at the end of the NBA season.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist has been hindered by injuries in recent seasons but said he would “love to play” in Rio if fit enough.
Photo Getty Images
“If my body can’t do it, there’s no sense doing it,” Kobe Bryant said.
The five-time NBA champion has scored 32,734 points during a 20-year career with the Lakers to rank third on the NBA’s all-time list.
Kobe Bryant, who won gold with the US team in 2008 and 2012, told ESPN Radio: “I would love nothing more than to be in an international environment and be around some of the other great athletes one more time.”
Should the Lakers fail to make the end-of-season play-offs, Kobe Bryant’s final game is set to be at home against Utah on April 13. The Olympics will be held four months later, between August 5 and 21.
Kobe Bryant is one of 34 players in the US men’s national team pool, from which only 12 can be selected for Rio.
Kobe Bryant has announced he will retire at the end of the NBA season.
The five-time NBA champion, widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history, has scored 32,683 points during a 20-year career with the LA Lakers to rank third on the NBA’s all-time list.
The 37-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist has been hindered by injuries in recent seasons and has been below his best this year for the Lakers.
Kobe Bryant told the Players’ Tribune: “My body knows it’s time to say goodbye.”
He has averaged more than 25 points per game in his 1,293 NBA matches.
Kobe Bryant’s final game is set to be at home against Utah on April 13.
The Lakers have won just twice so far this season, with Kobe Bryant averaging 15.7 points per game.
Photo Getty Images
In a poem entitled Dear Basketball, Kobe Bryant announced “this season is all I have left to give”.
The Philadelphia-born player added: “You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream. And I’ll always love you for it. But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.”
He ended the poem without hinting at what he might do next: “We both know, no matter what I do next, I’ll always be that kid, with the rolled up socks, garbage can in the corner, :05 seconds on the clock, ball in my hands.”
Kobe Bryant was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2008 and selected for the NBA All-Star team on 17 occasions.
Lakers coach Byron Scott said he thought Kobe Bryant would have played on for at least another season.
“It kind of shocked me when he told me,” said Byron Scott.
“I’m sad more than anything. Somebody I care about, have a lot of respect for… it’s always hard when greatness like Kobe decides to hang it up.
“For him to be able to go around to all these cities and them to be able to appreciate him for what he has accomplished is great.”
Lakers president Jeanie Buss added: “We’re all sad. This era of Lakers basketball has been one of the most fun, exciting, prosperous eras we could imagine.
“We’re in full support of him. But it’s still very sad.”
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